While EU media and EU actors are still congratulating Belgium for a successful presidency, Brussels reminds everybody EU president does not presides anything; it is just an honorific title. Indeed, with no government since half a year, Belgium took no initiatives, hence a smooth and model presidency…

We know how it works. Brussels represents citizens and opposes national selfishness. National leaders are answerable to citizens and received the legitimacy to favour National Interest. The competition was even stronger from the ’86 Single Act and liberal wave to the Great Recession and restoration of the welfare state spirit.

But end-2008, I remember having seen Barroso walking three steps behind Sarkozy, then EU President. Now Barroso has taken back the lead following Sarkozy’s Romani repatriation hiccups. The right is the result of power struggles…

PS: Surprisingly enough, Germany reacted with even more energy on Viktor Orbán. Freedom of Hungarian media seems really important to them. As a matter of fact, the hastily-adopted Hungarian taxes penalizing foreign companies, not to say German companies, are a pure coincidence…